Ingerid Ragnvaldsdatter (1108 - 1170)

Born 1108 in Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1170 at about age 62 in Nordfjord, Nordland, Norway

Biography

Ingrid Ragnvaldsdatter was a member of the aristocracy in Europe.

Queen. Parents: The Swedish king Ragnvald Ingesson "Knaphövde" (probably died in 1130); mother's name is not known. Married 1) with Henrik Svendsen Skadelår (died 04/06/1134), son of Prince Svend Svendsen (died 1104); 2) approx 1134 by King Harald IV Gille (ca. 1102-1136); 3) with Ottar Birting (died ca. 1146); 4) with Arne Ivarsson of Stårheim. Aunt of Queen Margrete Fredkolla (died 1130); the mother of King Inge I Haraldsson Hook Rygg (ca. 1135-1161), Orm Ivarsson royal brother (died 1184) and Bishop Nikolaus Arnesson (ca. 1150-1225); stepmother Brigida Haraldsdatter (mentioned 1130-1202); grandmother of King Philip Simonsson (died 1217).

The Swedish-born Ingerid was not yet an adult when she was married to the Danish Prince Henrik Skadelår, which lasted 10 to 15 years, should may not have been happy. Once she tried to escape with a young man to dressed in male clothes but the infatuated Henrik was revealed Ingerid before she could get away. Henrik died 1134. She had four children with Henrik, among them Magnus Henriksson (died 1161), who later for a short time was Swedish king.

Next she married Harald Gille, who had received Danish help to get on the throne, and brought Ingerid to Norway and married her. The marriage with Harald became difficult as well. Before July 1135 she bore a son Ingerid Inge (Hook Rygg). King Harald had many mistresses, and following the birth of Inge, he was killed by Sigurd Slembes men while he was in bed with a mistress in the King's palace in Bergen, where Queen Ingerid also stayed. The same night as Harald was murdered, Ingerid conferred with district chiefs and from the King's palace went out the message that the deceased king's concubine Sigurd II Munn would co-King. Then Ingerid went to Østfold where Inge was, and got him hailed as king on Borgarting.

Some years after Harald's death Ingerid bore another son (out of wedlock), Orm Ivarsson, in a relationship with a Ivar Sneis, we would not know anything about this person. She also married for the third time, with Ottar Birting, he was a lenderman and was guardian of Sigurd Munn. Ottar was assassinated 1146-1147 and Ingerid was then married to lenderman Arne of Ståreim. In this fourth and final marriage, she had several children, among them the now famous Bishop Nikolaus Arnesson. In those years she had Magnus Henriksson, her eldest son with Henrik Skadelår, claimed the Swedish throne based on his mother's inheritance claims; he should have been behind the assassination of King Sverker, at the Battle of Östra Aros in 1160 where he defeated King Erik, who after his death was worshiped as Sweden's patron saint. Magnus was married to Harald Gilles younger daughter Brigida.

Ingerid son King Inge was killed in battle on the ice at Oslo 1161. Orm's brother fled to his half brother Magnus in Sweden, but in mutual war led by Saint Erik he also killed Magnus. Ingerid even came with Erling Skakke to Denmark, where she would help to provide support for future king Magnus Erlingsson, something they also achieved. After this we do not know more about Ingerid fate. She probably died around 1170.

Issue

-Henry Sweynson (Henrik Skadelår)

• King Magnus II of Sweden (Magnus Henriksson) - who arranged the murder of Saint Eric IX of Sweden, and possibly also Sverker I of Sweden; was himself murdered; and was regarded a usurper afterwards
• Jarl Ragnvald Henriksson (Ragvald Henriksson) - Riksjarl of Sweden during his brother's brief reign
• Burits Henriksson (also Buris/Boris; likely 1130–1167, murdered), Earl of Jutland, in 1166 married with a daughter (b. 1150) of Luitgard of Stade and Hermann II, Count of Winzenburg.

-Harald Gille (Haraldr Gilli)

• King Inge Haraldsson of Norway (Ingi Haraldsson)

-Ivar Sneis (Ívarr Sneis)

• Orm Ivarsson (Ormr konungsbróðir) (illegitimate) - prominent leader during the reign of king Magnus Erlingsson, and after the death of Erling Skakke, next to the king in power.

-Arne Ivarsson of Stårheim (Árni Ívarsson á Stoðreimi)

• Philip of Herdla (Philippus í Herðlu)
• Bishop Nicholas Arnesson (Nikolás Árnason) - co-founder of the Bagler party
• Inge Arnesson (Ingi Árnason)
• Margrete Arnesdotter (Margrét Árnadóttir), who became mother of the Bagler king Philip Simonsson

Sources

• HKR.
• H. Koht: "Norwegian Queen," in Soga 1926
• E. Bull they: biography in NBL1, Vol. 6, 1934
• S. Imsen: Our queens, 1991
• NP Thuesen: Norwegian queens through a thousand years, 1991
• Lagerqvist, Lars O Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 år (Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. 1982)
• https://nbl.snl.no/Ingerid_Ragnvaldsdatter
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Ragnvaldsdotter

Notes

Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter has many historians been regarded as a loose woman who took turns among great men of that time; also she must have been beautiful and outgoing. She had the ability to act quickly and showed political flair.